This generously proportioned book is a real coffee table gem. My copy arrived bound in a black velvet feel cover which gives it a luxury touch... this has gathered a few cat hairs in my house! Inside the full colour photography is spectacular, as we have come to expect from DK, including classy double page spreads on Surface Lustre, Fluorescent Minerals and stones from cultures such as Ancient Egypt and India. Lots of feature pages tell the stories of famous jewels which make for interesting reading. It does however prove that money can't buy you taste; there are some photos of some enormously expensive jewellery that wouldn't look out of place on the racks at Claire's Accessories!

I did wonder whether the contents would be restricted to the classic range of gemstones, but actually the book covers a wide range of crystals. As a rule of thumb if it can be polished or faceted it is probably in this book. This isn't a crystal healing book, as per usual DK put any healing properties down to superstition and folklore, but don't let their scepticism put you off this visual treat.

Jewel was published by Dorling Kindersley in October 2016.